In this fourth class at the Escondido URC, Dr. Godfrey develops throughout history what lead to the collapse of Christendom.
The first meaningful moment that set in the decline of Christendom was Luther at Worms in 1521 in his famous "Here I Stand" speech. He was presenting a choice: whether to maintain Christendom, the powerful unity of church and state, or whether people wanted to be "Christians." Christendom as a stable cultural reality, or the gospel that had been significantly lost in the Middle Ages (under Christendom) that had now been recovered.
A lot of people didn't like that choice, a lot of people didn't want to face the reality that Christendom was one thing and Christianity was another. When the Peasant's War took place, Luther was appalled because it completely misunderstood the gospel. Luther understood the Christian life as a life of suffering, the essence of Christianity is to see one's rights trampled and not demand them, to stand up and say I demand my rights, as a Christian, is precisely a denial of everything the gospel is about. Luther was not a social Reformer and was appalled that the gospel of freedom was being used as an opportunity to justify a war. Wars to keep Christendom didn't work throughout history.
From here, Godfrey traces how the changes and advances throughout history challenged how the state and church had been previously linked together. This is a hugely signifiant historical overview that helps to understand the challenges of our day as we experience the collapse of Christendom. Take a moment to listen to this fourth session.
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